Location:

The Church is located in the center
of the City of Nazareth, on Casa Nova Street. It
stands over the site that was believed to be the site of
Mary's house, where angel Gabriel appeared and announced to Mary
that she is about to give birth of Jesus (Luke 1, see Biblical
reference below).

Four earlier Churches were built in
the same location and archaeological excavations in this site
revealed early Roman settlements.

History of the place:

These are the highlights
along the timeline, with the Church being built for 5 times in the
same site:

Mid 4th
C AD

Early church; probably an altar in the grotto believed to be
Mary's house

340AD-470AD

Church of the Annunciation was commissioned Emperor
Constantine, directed by his Mother, St. Helena, but probably
was completed only in 470AD. It may have been founded by Deacon
Canon of Jerusalem, as inscribed on a mosaic.

638AD

Arab invasion;
destruction of the Church

1109AD

Crusaders arrive to
the Holy Land; build a new magnificent Church; stay in Nazareth until 1187

Franciscans purchase the ruins; return to occupy the Church (3rd time)

1730

Church rebuild (4th time) and enlarged in 1877

1955-1969

Church demolished and rebuilt (the current church
- the 5th Church), designed by Giovanni Muzio

1997-2006AD

Friction around
mosque built in front of the Church of the Annunciation

An 19th Century illustration of
the Church and the surroundings is seen here. The church is the
white triple fronted structure.

Illustration of Nazareth, by David
Roberts, 1839 Library of Congress

Photos:

You can park the car along the eastern wall of the Church, on the main road
in downtown Nazareth. Then, walk up Casa Nova street to the gate of the
Church.

(a) Upper Church:

A view of the Church of the Annunciation from the back side is shown in the
following photo. It is made of 2 levels, and the door is the entrance to the
upper level.

Click on the photo to view it in higher
resolution...

The Upper Church serves as the local Roman Catholic parish
church. Natural light illuminates the church from the stunning
high (170 feet) cupola.

(b) Lower Church:

The lower Church is centered around the grotto
which, according to the tradition, was the home of Mary and the site
of the Annunciation. The remnants of churches from the
Crusader and Byzantine eras are seen around the grotto.

The following photo shows the
grotto's interior, with the beautiful 18Th C altar dedicated to the
Annunciation (see below). On the right of the altar - an ancient
column, probably placed there in the fourth century to mark the
place where the angel appeared. Behind it are stairs that lead up to
a small cave (called "Mary's kitchen") and an exit to the yard.

On the Altar
- the words " Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est" ("Here [hic] the word was
made flesh"). This text is from John 1 14: "The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,
the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth".

A Byzantine mosaic is found on the
floor of the small grotto to the west of the Shrine. The 5TH C AD
mosaic spells in Greek: "For Conon, Deacon of Jerusalem", which may have
been the founder of the Byzantine church. Deacon is a title
of a honorable position in the church.

A nun is seen in the following photo praying at the site, facing
the grotto. This site attracts many believers and tourists.

Biblical References:

Luke (1: 26-38)

In this text is the story of the annunciation:

"And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou
that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying,
and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou
hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was
called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it
unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her".

Archaelogical References:

In the grounds around the Church several archaeological excavations
unearthed the earlier remnants of the Churches and the Roman village. These
included walls, parts of houses, silos, cisterns which were part of the Roman
village. The excavations are visible under the platform of the upper church
(you can see a photo
of these excavations) .

Links:

Aerial View:

The photo is part of a collection of aerial images of
BibleWalks's partner. For purchasing details, visit our
shop.

The church and its dome is seen on the left-center side. In the
center of the photo is a T shaped long structure, with St. Joseph's
church on its right (North) side and Terra Sancta Convent in the
middle.